How Important are "Tennis" Shoes?

Your "tennis" shoes or footwear choice when deciding to play is one of the most important decisions that you will make. The wrong decision can not only make a big difference in how you play but it can also lead to discomfort and possible injury.

As a professional instructor, when a new student asks me what equipment they need before they come out for a lesson or class, I tell them to bring their racquet, a water bottle, wear comfortable clothes and shoes for playing tennis.

When you as a parent are making a shoe purchase for your child, you need to understand that it is just as important to get the correct pair for them just as if you were buying for yourself.

Invariably, when they show up they would have on jogging or running shoes. When I tell them that they are not appropriate for playing tennis, they are caught completely by surprise.

Click on the picture for more tennis shoes

The reason I tell them is that running shoes are not made with the change of direction and constant stop and go that is required in tennis.

K-Swiss Court LE Contestor - Mens - White/Black

The Correct Shoe

Choosing the best tennis shoes for the surface that you play on is an important factor. There are shoes designed specifically for clay courts and those that are right for hard courts.

As for myself, I go through shoes pretty fast compared to the average player even though I'm teaching and not necessarily competing. That's why I opt for shoes that offer a six month wear-out warranty. Some manufacturers however, don't like to offer this to tennis instructors. Something about us being on the court too long.

One thing that I do is I buy two pairs at the same time so that I can rotate them an get more wear out of them. Also, I try not to wait until my shoes are absolutely worn to the ground before replacing them. I don't like the feeling of my toes coming through.

Purchasing Shoes Online

While many people don't like to buy their footwear from online stores, I find that when I purchase footwear, I go out to a local retailer and try on the same shoe that I am looking at online to be reasonably sure that the size is consistent.

While this is no guarantee, I haven't had any problems with my system so far.

Cost

I'm not sure if you've noticed but the price of shoes have gone up over the past year.
Maybe it has something to do with the price of oil or something.

My wife purchased a pair of shoes last year and this year that same pair of shoes has gone up 30%. Well, I guess that's the price she has to pay for wanting to play tennis.

It seems that if you want to play tennis and if you want to get quality, you need to shop around for the best deals.

That's where I come in. You see, I have to buy my clothing, racquets and gear just like you do. That's why I need to find the best prices on tennis gear by searching the internet.

adidas Barricade 6.0 (M) - $109.95
from: Tennis Boom Inc